Top 3 Defensive Targets for the Senators This Offseason

At the Ottawa Senators’ end-of-season media availability, president and general manager Steve Staios stated clearly that his job is to “continue to build on this team.” While that could mean swapping bottom-six pieces to replace Lars Eller or Nick Cousins, the Senators are expected to do more this summer, especially after reaching the playoffs for a second consecutive season, despite losing in Round 1 to a Carolina Hurricanes squad that bulldozed their way to the Stanley Cup Final.

As one of the Hurricanes’ victims, Ottawa should study how Carolina reached the Final with one loss. This mainly involves defensive structures and which defencemen they utilize in key situations. While the Senators have assembled a reliable two-way forward group, they must bolster their defence this offseason by adding a player who can stabilize their top two pairs. 

Although Staios hasn’t been officially linked to any of the affordable and tactical names below, any of these players would help Ottawa improve their defensive game and match up against teams with the same structure.

Mario Ferraro, San Jose Sharks

In terms of stability and flexibility, Mario Ferraro is the Senators’ best bet. The 27-year-old unrestricted free agent is a consistent shot-blocker, carries an underrated physical game and can slot in throughout the lineup. He would also be worth offering a four- maybe five-year deal. 

Ferraro racked up 23 points in 82 games with the San Jose Sharks last season. Yes, he finished a minus-1 and has been a minus player throughout his career, but he has spent his entire career on a rebuilding Sharks team that has struggled defensively since the start of this decade.

He blocked 150 shots this season and ranked in the top-10 in 2023-24. But what makes him a better fit for the Senators is his ability to play both sides. Adding Ferraro would make room for Thomas Chabot to stay on the left side of the second-pairing. Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub would then stay together on the first pair, and Carter Yakemchuk could ease into the third with Tyler Kleven. 

If Ferraro does sign with the Sens, it would likely make Jordan Spence the odd man out, especially if they commit to giving Yakemchuk a full-time role next season. However, they already have enough offence on the back end, and a defensive-minded combination of Zub, Kleven and Ferraro with Nikolas Mattinpalo as the seventh defender would go a long way toward boosting their penalty kill, which struggled at various points this season.

Jonas Brodin, Minnesota Wild

Instead of being big, physical and bruising, Jonas Brodin has been just as effective by blocking passes and closing off open gaps, mainly with his stick. He tallied 18 points in 62 games for the Minnesota Wild this season, blocked 126 shots and averaged an on-ice goals percentage of 54.4%.

Unfortunately, the Wild might not be able to afford one of their longer-tenured players, since they have roughly $12.7 million in cap space with Quinn Hughes and captain Jared Spurgeon becoming free agents next summer. The 32-year-old Swedish blueliner has two years remaining on a seven-year, $42 million contract he inked with Minnesota in Sept. 2020. 

Despite strong defensive metrics, Brodin’s main setback is his long injury history. He has not played a full season since 2018-19 – accounting for the COVID-19 regulations – and has had multiple surgeries in the past couple of years, including for a fractured toe he sustained in Game 5 of Round 1 of the playoffs against the Dallas Stars, which forced him to miss the remainder of the postseason.

No matter the injury and surgery history, when he is healthy, Brodin is one of the top defensive minds in the league, meaning Ottawa’s asset pool would take a hit to acquire him. He would be worth the price, however, as he doesn’t give the puck away often in his own zone, with 27 such giveaways this season, and his ability to play both sides of the puck would make room for someone else to cover for Chabot when he activates offensively.

Rasmus Ristolainen, Philadelphia Flyers

Despite a successful season that saw the Philadelphia Flyers win a playoff series for the first time in six years, the club is reportedly open to trading Rasmus Ristolainen. Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos had him on his May Trade Board, stating that he is one of many defencemen available. Ristolainen has one year left on his $5.1 million deal, signed with the Flyers in March 2022. 

He played just 44 games this season, missing time with a lower-body injury as well as the start of the campaign recovering from a right triceps tendon rupture. However, he bounced back in the second half and tallied five points in his first playoff run. During the regular season, he was top-20 among defencemen, averaging 850 minutes in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) at 2.67.

He might be known for his offensive game, but the 31-year-old improved his defence in a few areas over the last few seasons. In fact, his first two positive goal differential seasons have both come in the last two years with the Flyers, plus-3 in 2024-25 and plus-10 this season.

Perhaps the Senators aren’t looking for a project, but after playing half a season, Ristolainen’s trade value might be in a good spot for them to make an offer. He wouldn’t be as strategic a defender as Ferraro or Brodin, but he uses his physicality to make himself seem bigger than he is, setting up Chabot to drive the pairing in skating. 

Ultimately, the Senators can afford to see Yakemchuk grow on the third pair with Kleven, and there is no question Sanderson and Zub should remain the top unit. What they can’t afford is having Chabot carry the second pair on both sides of the puck. No matter which of these three options they go with, they will be able to contribute more defensively for that spot than Nick Jensen was supposed to.